(Wikipedia's example of a cob house)

Want to build to last hundreds of years with the dirt already on your land? One way might be by cob. Here's an upcoming seminar that may make a good start:

Cob Garden Wall Workshop
October 24-26, 2008
Leander, TX

$250 - early tuition (paid in full by Sept 30)
$300 - full tuition (paid after Sept 30)
$100 - non-refundable deposit reserves you a space (remainder due by Oct 24)

This workshop will offer hands on training in the construction of an outdoor cob garden wall. The workshop will be held in the backyard of a suburban home in Leander, Texas.

This workshop project will break up a large, open backyard into smaller, inviting spaces; creating a garden space and retreat for the homeowner to enjoy. The cob wall will incorporate two large arches, a planting trellis, and other decorative elements. We feel like this is a great opportunity to teach participants basic cob building elements that they can employ in beautifying their own outdoor spaces.

The workshop will cover foundation construction, cob mixing, wall building, window/trellis incorporation, and roofing. Each day will be a combination of hands on building and discussions. Individuals of all physical abilities and building experience are welcome. Participants should leave this workshop with the confidence and experience needed to take on their own outdoor cob project and the support of a network of likeminded folks.

Each participant will be provided with space to camp and served a vegetarian lunch each day of the workshop.

Instructor:
Sara Schmidt-left her environmental engineering career in 2005 to complete an apprenticeship with Cob Cottage Company; additional training with House Alive and Cobworks; employed as a natural builder since 2006.

Workshop Hostess:
Kathy Rinard-recently completed a 7 day cob cabin building workshop and went right home and began a cob project of her own. Kathy is looking to create a more inviting and functional backyard.

Mail workshop tuition/deposit to:
Sara Schmidt
P.O. Box 835
Fraser, CO 80442

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at:
sara_schmidt96@yahoo.com
512-422-3517

And, if you're already a cob expert, please submit a couple dozen Instructables about it for the benefit of the rest of us!

Here are some of my favorite posts from the CRAFT blog this week:

• Canning 101
• What You're Reading in CRAFT: 08
• Paper Weaving Tutorial
• Old Drawers Make New Planters
• HOW TO - Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

I think it's a stretch to say this is how the iPod was invented, regardless - it's very cool to see this sketch from 30 years ago...

Here's the article from Dailymail..."Apple admit Briton DID invent iPod, but he's still not getting any money..." via CrunchGear.

Apple has finally admitted that a British man who left school at 15 is the inventor behind the iPod.

Kane Kramer, 52, came up with the technology that drives the digital music player nearly 30 years ago but has still not seen a penny from his invention.

And the father of three is so hard up he had to sell his home last year and move his family to rented accommodation.

Now documents filed by Apple in a court case show the US firm acknowledges him as the father of the iPod... Two years ago, Mr Kramer told this newspaper how he had invented the device in 1979 – when he was just 23.

His invention, called the IXI, stored only 3.5 minutes of music on to a chip – but Mr Kramer rightly believed its capacity would improve.

Fall is a great time to ride your bike, and this LED modification will add an enormous amount of safety to your next trip.

I often ride bikes that end up not having working LED flashers, either because it's a friends bike who doesn't believe in safety, mountain bike, or the batteries are dead again. Since I always bring my camelbak with me on rides, I designed some LED flashers that are integrated into the bag.

Learn how to make a FlashBack: Backpack with integrated LED's

The internet has long been abuzz with Banksy, the world’s most infamous street artist. But what is the big deal about Banksy, where can you find his work and what has he said about his art to set the world to talking about it? This thoroughly researched in-depth eight-part guide will walk you through the entire world of Banksy, from his stencil and graffiti work to prints, interviews, quotes, forums and other resources. Skim the overviews and click the links for more information.

1) Introduction: Who is Banksy? In a world where the face of a politician, actor or artist is generally as widely recognized as their influence and work Banksy has struggled for years to maintain the mystery of his identity. He has created work around the world with messages ranging from subversive to downright silly but little is known for sure about his background - though much has been speculated and many have claimed to have figured out who he really is.

2) Banksy Graffiti, Stencils and Drawings: While he has subsequently become known for all kinds of installation art and other culture jamming projects Banksy has his roots in traditional graffiti, stencils and drawings. Much of his earliest - and now most valuable - work can be found scrawled in notebooks or on public walls around Great Britain. Extensive use of stencils in particular has helped Banksy work more quickly and maintain his anonymity.

3) Banksy Photos, Prints and Tattooes:The growing fame of Banksy and his work has resulted in a huge following of people who have extensively documented his art with photographs, collected prints which he has sold and even gotten custom tattooes of his work put on their bodies. For many of his fans from around the world this is the easiest, best or only way to have contact with Banksy’s work which is far away.

4) Banksy Art Sold and For Sale: Along with his fame Banksy appears to have accumulate quite a fortune, with his work being shown in famous galleries around the world and purchased by collectors at astonishing prices. People who own Banksy pieces as parts of walls or as individual objects and drawing have been able to sell them for hundreds of thousands of dollars to famous collectors including Brat Pitt.

5) Banksy Interviews, Films and Videos: Despite his own camera-shy nature the elusive Banksy has been interviewed a number of times and is the subject of numerous films and videos. With his fame, however, he has also had to work harder than ever to avoid being unmasked, ducking out of interviews early or conducting them remotely - and always blurs out his face on the few videos that exist of him working.

6) Banksy Quotes and Sound Bites: Though many have derided him as an egotist Banksy is both clever and self-effacing when he speaks about his work. He is full of clever-but-meaningful quotes about the nature of his work as well as his opinions on graffiti and the artworld at large. He is at once crass but also deeply thoughtful in a way that those familiar with his work might not be entirely surprised by.

7) Banksy Books, Websites and Forums: As Banksy has become more popular, successful and influential a wealth of supporting material has sprung up around him. There are now books by him and by others about his work and ideals as well as websites and forums dedicated to discussing his art and motives. Some of these books contain glimpses into his past as well as full-color collections of his early works.

8) Banksy Art Locations Around the World: After all of this discussion of the nature of his work, his origins, influences, inspirations and opinions … where can you actually find Banksy’s work? As it turns out he has travelled extensively and managed to remain under the radar while doing so. This final article describes some of his most famous locations where you too can go and see the work of the infamous Banksy.

Banksy Art and Graffiti 1: Introduction - Who is Banksy?
Banksy Art and Graffiti 2: Graffiti, Drawings and Stencils
Banksy Art and Graffiti 3: Tattoos, Photos and Prints
Banksy Art and Graffiti 4: Art Sold and For Sale
Banksy Art and Graffiti 5: Interviews, Films and Videos
Banksy Art and Graffiti 6: Best Quotes and Sound Bites
Banksy Art and Graffiti 7: Books, Forums and Websites
Banksy Art and Graffiti 8: Locations Around the World

Want More? Check Out These Great Related Articles:

• 8 Postmodern Appearances of the Mona Lisa: Classic Subject Resurfaces in Urban Street Artworks
• The Banksy Paradox: 7 Sides of the World’s Most Infamous Street Artist
• Where to Find Banksy Art Around the World: Part Eight in an Eight-Part Banksy Series
• Books, Websites, and Forums about the Anonymous Street Artist Banksy: Part Seven in an Eight-Part Banksy Series
• 5 of the Best Banksy Quotes and Sound Bites: Part Six in and Eight-Part Banksy Series

Richard2nd has put together a simple Instructable on building a digital pinhole camera. The comments mention that the sharper the edges on the pinhole, the greater the depth of field and the sharper the image.

More:
Pintoids - Pinhole cameras made from Altoid tins

DIY High capacity panoramic pinhole camera

Jim writes in with a cool upcoming class @ TechShop...

Most makers love to watch combat robots fight to the death on shows like RoboGames, BattleBots, and Robot Wars.

The folks at TechShop in Menlo Park, California, are conducting a special 2-day intensive class called "Build A 60-Pound Combat Robot". The class gives you the opportunity to build your very own fire-spewing, buzz-saw wielding combat robot with the personal help and guidance of veteran combat robot builders.

The expert instructors for this class include Matt and Wendy Maxham (Team Plumb Crazy, with robots Sewer Snake, Pipe Wench, and Devil's Plunger), Stephen Felk (builder of robots Voltronic, Pump, Plasma), Kevin Barker (builder of robots K2, Terminal Velocity), Gary Gin builder of (robots Original Sin, The Big B), and David Calkins and Simone Davalos (they run RoboGames, the world's biggest robot event).

The class happens Saturday September 13 and Sunday, and September 14, 2008. Up to two people can attend for each registration and work on a robot together. Registration is open now at the TechShop web site.